Blog Tour and Intl Giveaway: MY SWEET FRIEND - by H.A. Leuschel

Monday, 14 May 2018

Today I'm sharing an excerpt and international giveaway for this beautiful book! Read on to find out about the story...

A stand-alone novella from the author of Manipulated Lives...
A perfect friend ... or a perfect impostor?
Alexa is an energetic and charismatic professional and the new member of a Parisian PR company where she quickly befriends her colleagues Rosie and Jack. She brings a much-needed breath of fresh air into the office and ambitiously throws herself into her new job and friendships.
But is Alexa all she claims to be?
As her life intertwines with Rosie and Jack's, they must all decide what separates truth from fiction. Will the stories that unfold unite or divide them? Can first impressions ever be trusted?
In this original novella, H.A. Leuschel evokes the powerful hold of appearances and what a person is prepared to do to keep up the facade. If you like thought-provoking and compelling reads with intriguing characters, My Sweet Friend is for you.

Helene Andrea Leuschel grew up in Belgium where she gained a Licentiate in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She now lives with her husband and two children in Portugal and recently acquired a Master of Philosophy with the OU, deepening her passion for the study of the mind. When she is not writing, Helene works as a freelance journalist and teaches Yoga.

*Terms and Conditions
– Worldwide entries welcome.
Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Note from the author:

Many dream to become the next Husain Bolt, Nobel Prize Winner or movie star? Much of what children are taught today is about reaching goals, coming first, standing out and being one of a kind.

Without hard work and learning to accept failures and hardship, very few are in a position though to reach those heights.
So, what if you haven’t got the grit, little personal ambition to sit down and work? What if appearances are everything to you?
There’s one way to get there and that is via the observation of fellow humans, how they tick, what their strengths and especially what their weaknesses are and then lie yourself to the top.
Lies and betrayals have fed numerous story lines in literature since time immemorial. From psychopaths, protagonists out to achieve their goal at all cost, deceiving husbands and wives to those simply scared to be found out, lying comes in many shapes and colours. Their consequences are always devastating to the injured party, leaving a trail of hurt.

Deception and lies leave behind broken hearts and suspicion, cause anxiety and often further deceit and in my latest novella ‘My Sweet Friend’ this is no exception.

It had all happened quite fast. I was standing in the queue at the ticket office, waiting for my turn, when my memory travelled back to the day I’d gone back for a cup of coffee to Jack’s apartment.
‘Let’s have some fun, shall we? No one has to know.’
The words had worked their magic because he, like countless others before him, could not resist my direct advances. The signals were clear and without complicated initiation periods. They’d soon be all too keen to assuage their guilty consciences when it suited me later.
At the next opportunity, facing each other over evening drinks, I started tickling his conscience.
‘Are you worried about Rosie finding out?’ I asked, and he blanched at the question, his eyes focused on his Apple Martini.
He took another mouthful, then looked at me.
‘I care about Rosie and I think our little game is a mistake.’ He’d chosen the wrong condescending tone, as if he were the father telling off his silly little girl.
‘Whoa, seriously? Are you suggesting it was a chore to spend time with me? You’re just like every other guy, you know. Alexa is fun but let’s dump her for the little mouse who prefers women,’ I said, watching Jack squirm and shift in his seat.
‘Why do you keep calling her a little mouse? That’s offensive. She’s your friend, you said. Since when do friends talk badly about each other behind their backs?’ He slapped his hand on the table.
‘Calm down. She is, and she’s really sweet, but I sometimes feel she’s too clingy and needy, calling me in the middle of the night to cry on my shoulder, so to speak, borrowing money from me because she can’t pay back her credit card bills.’
The words tumbled out of me without much reflection, so to back them up I showed him the long list of calls and text notifications Rosie had sent, after I had called her in desperation in the middle of the night, then had given her the silent treatment. I left the latter fact out, of course, watching the dismay sadden Jack’s face.